Two finishes (that aren't quite finished...)

So, I finally seem to be getting my stitchy-bug back little by little.

First up, I have finished the Jackalope from 'Storyland Cross Stitch' by What Delilah Did...

(please excuse my bed cover showing through!)

He was really fun to stitch - a nice easy shape and no colour changes. It was a little hard going at times using three strands of thread (sore fingers!) but it was worth it as it looks so dense.

He's not quite finished though... I have to finish finishing him ^^; I'm going to mount the stitching in a wooden hoop using the method stated in the book. I'm also going to bind the hoop using a black velvet ribbon to match the plushness of the stitching.

Next up, I have finished my tapestry cushion front 'Berlin Roses' by Anchor. It has taken me so long to complete this! I thought it would be a super-fast stitch but sometimes it felt like I'd been working away for hours and made hardly any progress :( This has actually been away for a few months and I only brought it out of hiding because I was going to need the frame for something new :D I decided that I may as well try and get a bit more done...and it was like I was on fire! Unbelievable hyper-speed stitching! I had stitched two leaves in one day. All of the bottom leaves were stitched last week. And it was so much fun! I think after using such a thin needle on the Jackalope, the massive needle I used for this was so easy.

It's not quite finished though... I need to make it up in to a cushion! I had previously decided to use an old bed cover for the backing fabric - a nice blue and red checked cotton - it would be perfect! I've never made a cushion with a tapestry front before so I was doing a little reading in books and the internets for some tips - and they all recommended using a heavy weight fabric...my planned fabric is soft and thin! So I'm going to find a new fabric (I'm thinking of a red and white gingham)

I had planned to do lots of 'making-up' last weekend but as I didn't have the fabric that I needed I'm going to save it all up and have a mammoth making session one weekend :)

♥